It has been a challenge to get our garden going this year. Florida presents a different gardening experience for someone from New England and rich brown dirt. Valentino is from Italy where he too grew with a different soil and climate. We have always had small containers or tomatoes and herbs but this year we have gone full fledged backyard gardener. I won’t use the now hotly contested term but I will admit I am “one of those” homesteaders! Nothing is more special than a day in our yard enjoying what it is becoming for us!

We splurged on some baby chicks and are looking forward to fresh eggs in a few months. And we have planted one of the largest gardens ever for us as a married couple. Even our sons are enjoying the prospects of a garden harvest. They too spend most of their free time in the backyard with us planning and working and planning some more!

We have had koi ponds for about twenty years or so. We started with a basic one back at our previous home that was simply a square pond with wooden seating benches framing it. From there we have come to a simple pond near our back door, It is framed by my rubber tree plant that is more tree than plant . It is a peaceful place when I need somewhere to sit and meditate and pray. The sound of trickling waterfalls is like music!

The plants are beginning to blossom now, promises of harvests to come. It appears that we will have plenty of pumpkins by fall too.

My son’s iguana will be enjoying plenty of fresh collard greens in his diet too!

Comfrey is growing! So is the rest of the garden!

This then is what we are looking forward to…. A harvest of our garden, feeding our family, being nourished by all we have accomplished together. Today we sat out back and sipped Liquori di Zecca – mint liquor made from our fresh mint! Sipped over ice, it was refreshingly sweet knowing it was only the harbinger of our harvest yet to come!

Hi,
I just dicovered you blog…when I read your “about” section, it had me in tears. The way you speak of your family really tugged my heart, as I too have an amazing relationship with my mother and sister in law. We are like blood. Also, the way you speak of your own extended family is so beautiful. I come from a big Italian American family. I have 2 sons and a daughter. Just this past year we finished the process of claiming our Italian roots, and became dual citizens. We now have an American and an Italian passport. I look forward to reading more of your blog. Grazie…
Ciao…

Thank you Liz for such a complement! Molti Grazie! I am working on mu duel citizenship – I am caught in limbo land with some paperwork but not too worried about it! They folks at the consulate in Miami have been so sweet! I am always amzaed when Americans complain about visiting Italians or their consulates – the claims of rudeness is something I don’t understand – but my husband tells me that my smiles with everyone makes it difficult for them to be rude back – flies with honey!

Yes, just keep smiling…We did eventually develope great relationships with all who work at the Italian Consulate here in Houston Texas,more so because of all the visits it took as we went through the process of of citizenship, and it didn’t hurt that we brought home baked goodies. It is now a joy to go in there and chat with them. And if you have any questions about the process feel free to email me…maybe I can help.